Misdemeanor Treatment Court
The East Fork Justice Court operates a specialty court program targeting non-violent offenders with substance abuse issues. This Misdemeanor Treatment Court was established in 2017 with a grant form the Administrative Office of the Courts. The Misdemeanor Court focuses on a treatment model, requiring participants to engage in drug or alcohol abuse treatment, remain drug, alcohol, and crime free, and providing programming support to help participants gain life skills including education, employment, and housing. Participants are required to engage in individual and group substance abuse counseling, random drug/alcohol testing, be supervised by the Department of Alternative Sentencing, collaborative case management, and appear in court regularly (and not less than once per month).
What is treatment or specialty court?
Specialty Courts are problem-solving courts that help break the cycle of drug and/or alcohol addition that can influence adult criminal activity, juvenile delinquent behavior, or parental abuse and/or neglect of children. Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 176.0613 defines a Specialty Court program as, “A program established by a court to facilitate testing, treatment, and oversight of certain persons over whom the court has jurisdiction and who the court has determined suffers from a mental illness or abuses alcohol or drugs. ” Specialty Courts are problem-solving court strategies designed to address the root causes of criminal activity by coordinating efforts of the judiciary, defense bar, probation, law enforcement, treatment, mental health, social services, and child protection services. Together, they maintain a critical balance of authority, supervision, support, and encouragement. Specialty Court programs are rigorous requiring frequent drug testing and court appearances, along with tightly structured regimens of treatment and recovery services. Specialty Courts offer non-violent substance abusing offenders an alternative to incarceration. The goal of a Specialty Court is to break the cycle of the “revolving door” syndrome and support participants to achieve total abstinence from drugs and/or alcohol, by promoting responsibility and accountability, and teaching participants to become productive law abiding citizens, which in return reduces criminal recidivism and provides for better, healthier communities.
To learn more, watch the video. https://youtube.com/watch?v=M6Enu3aSOic
Specialty Courts Result in Significant Cost Savings and Reduce Recidivism
Specialty Court programs result in significant cost savings to local government by reducing public costs associated with monitoring, detaining and prosecuting criminal activity by law enforcement and prosecution agencies. The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) reports that for every $1.00 invested in Specialty Courts, taxpayers save as much as $3.36 in avoided criminal justice costs alone. When considering other costs associated with participants’ involvement in the criminal justice system, it is estimated that Specialty Courts save taxpayers $27.00 for every $1.00 invested by reducing victimization and healthcare service utilization.
NADCP findings indicate that Specialty Courts reduce crime 45% more than other sentencing options. Participants in Specialty Court programs are six times more likely to complete substance abuse treatment than those not involved in a judicial program. Without judicial oversight. 70% of substance-abusing offenders drop out of treatment.
Application Process
To apply for the Misdemeanor Treatment Court program, please complete the “Agreement & Waiver” form https://eastforkjusticecourt.com/forms/and provide it to the court with a current substance use evaluation. You may request admittance to the program at the time of sentencing, or by request for defferal as permitted by law.